Towel cabinet



Oct. 16 1923. 1,470,942

. F. M. TEINER TOWEL CABINET Filed Jan. 51. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 1 [N YENTOR FHNK M. 6 TE ER "Uc. 16, 192?. M70942 TOWEL CABINET Filed Jan. 31. 1922 s Sheets-Sheet 2 ZN VEN TOR FRANK/*2 JTEINER HTTO YS Oct. 16 1923., I

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UNITED STATES} rm 1:. srnmna, or mnmoms, Emma-sou, assmuon T0 srnmna SALES comm, or saw our, nun, a conroaa'nou or 2,470,942 PATENT oFFlca.

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To all whom concern:

Be it known that I FRANK M. STEINER, a citizen of the United states, resident of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Towel Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

In the rise and operation of towel cabinets, 'it is customary to place them in a building where used and at stated intervals the laundryman will call and remove the soiled towel and substitute therefor the clean one or the 'anitor may make the change. These cal are sometimes made daily, as for instance in ofiice buildings, hotels, etc., and in other places where the cabinet is not used so frequently-the laundryman may often find it necessary to visit the place once or twice a week or every other day, as the use of the towel requires.

In making these rounds with the clean towels and gathering up the soiled ones, the laundryman often finds a quarter or a third of a clean towel unused in the cabinet when he calls-not enough to last until he comes a ain and too much to waste and pick up w1th the soiled towels and put into the wash. Obviously, it is not practicable for the laundryman to make a special trip and be pres ent the moment a cabinet is empty to fill orsupply a few cabinets with clean towels, and it is a useless ex ense to take away the roll when a considera le portion of the towel has not been used. I

The object, therefore, of'my present invention is to provide a cabinet so arranged and e uipped that-a plurality of towels of the r0 ler or bolt type are provided, one or more being kept in reserve so that when the laundryman calls and 'finds one towel has been entirely used and the other one only partially, he can supply a clean towel in place of the used one and the cabinet will then be fully equipped tolast until he makes his next trip. v

in arranging these towels in the cabinet, I make provision to prevent the user from having access to but one towel at a time and when one roll is exhausted, the janitor or other person in charge of the cabinet around the building can easily and quickly make a suitable adjustment and position the second clean towel in place of the onethat has been used and the user until that time may reach;

and use the second one. It is only necessary then for the laundryman when he makes his rounds to put in one roll, which will serve as a reserve to permit continuous use of the Figure 1 is a front elevation of a towel a cabinet embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of ,the same,

Figure .3 is av sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,

Figure 4' is a side elevation of the cabinet, showing the door for access to the towel compartments,

Figure 5 is a detail of the towel grippers and carriers therefor, showing their work in positions,

igure 6 is a similar view showing the manner of shifting the position the reserve towe has been exhausted,

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 7-7 of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is'a detail view, showing a modified construction of the grippers and carriers therefor,

Figure 9 is a sectional viewon the line 9-9 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a sectional view on the line 10,10 of Figure 9,

Figure 11 is a detail view, showing the position of the operating crank.

In the drawing, 2 represents the side walls of the cabinet, 3 an upright forward wall or for use when one panel and 4 a corresponding rear wall be- "3 has a downwardly and inwardly inclined shelf 6 for directing the soiled towel inwardly and downwardly and above this shelf and between it and the top of the cabinet an opening is provided through which the user may reach and grasp the clean towel and gripper carriers to i draw it downwardly until acertain predetermined length has been delivered and-then pull itoutwardly to a convenient position for use. In the lower part of the cabinet is a clean towel compartment 7 and a second compartment 8 separated from the compartment 7 by a hinged wall or gate 9. A wall 10 divides the clean towel compartment from the interior of the cabinet and from a soiled towel chamber 11 that is formed between the wall 10 and the front panel or wall 3. A roll of clean towel 12 is provided in the compartment 7- and a similar roll 12 of said rolls upon the contactingwalls serves to resist premature or unnecessary unwinding of the clean towel. The rear wall 4 has an opening 13 through which the loose ends of the rolls 12 and 12 are conducted, this opening being partially shielded, preferably by a flange 1d at the lower side of the open- 6m the outer side of the rear wall guards 15 are'arranged and the loose end of the towel 12 passes outside of these guards and in contact therewith and the corresponding end of the roll 12 passes between these guards and the wall 4 up to the top of the cabinet. As indicated at A in Figure 3, the guards 15 have gaps or openings therein through which the towel web on the outer side of the guards may be easily and quickly moved to the inner side, or between the guards and the wall 4 of the cabinet. This ma be done when the roll 12 is exhausted,

an the janitor moves the roll 12 from the chamber 7 to the chamber 8 and then. wishes to support the web of the roll 12 in the forward gripper where it can be. conveniently reached by the user. After this is done, the

cabinet is ready for use again, and when the laundry man makes his next trip, he can lace a clean roll in the now .empty cham er 7 and carry the web up outside the guards to the rear gripper where it will be ready for use as soon as the forward roll v is exhausted.

In the upper part of the cabinet I provide a frame 16 in which gripper carriersare mounted. Thesecarriers com rise rectangular end portions 17 and 18, fitting within the frames in the side walls of the cabinet and connected across the cabinet by plates 19 having rounded ends over'which the loose ends of the towels are delivered, being carried up through the opening at the rear of the cabinet from the rear wall 4 and the guides 15. The end sections of the carriers are also connected by rods 20 and on these rods towel grip ers are mounted, consisting ct plates 21 and 21 pivoted near their midtile portion on the rods 20 having flanges 22 1 ,ameea and 22 to engage the loose end of the towel and clamp it against the plate 19, said grippers bein provided 'on the opposite side of their pivots with flanged portions 23 and 23* at right angles substantially to the plates 21 and 21*, so that when the user of the towel pulls horizontally thereon to draw it forward. out of the cabinet, the web of toweling engagin a flange 23 or 23 will tilt on its ivot an clamp the towel against the'sur ace of the guidin plate at the rear of the carrier. Direct downward pull on the loose end of the towel is permitted. for

a limited distance, governed by the position of the shield 6 and the depth of the opening at the front of the cabinet, but when the limit of this downward pull is reached and the user begins the. outward movement to draw the towel to a osition for use, then the gripper will per orm its function to clamp the towel and positively check the feed thereof at this point, while freely permitting the loose deptending portion'of the towel to be drawn up hrough the open front of the cabinet. The frames 16 have ofisets 241 in the lower side thereof, adapted to re ceive either one of the gripper carriers, as shown in Figure 5, the other carrier resting upon the forward portion of the frame between the rear one and the front of the cabinet. This will be the normal usin position user to have access to the rear towel and he will therefore continue to draw down on the forward one and pull the loose portion out through the front of the cabinet until the forward towel roll is completely exhausted and is dropped into the soiled towel chamber 11 provided in the bottom of the cabinet. When this has been done, the rear, or reserve towel will be exposed and accessible, and may be drawn down and pulled out by the user in the same manner in which the forward towel was previously drawn. The cabinet may be used, each person drawing on the reserve roll, and the janitor will shift this roll into the other chamber and carry the web nearer to the delivery opening by reversing the position of the grippers, passing thevtowel web through the openings in guards 15 as heretofore de-- will be in position to be grasped and drawn forward by the user when the forward web is exhausted. In this way, the towel users always have a supply oftoweling and the web of the reserve roll is at hand to be in the cabinet is due to the fact that the web essons .of such roll is supported where it can he easil reached by the user when the web of .to the upper part of the frame 16, as shown in Figure 6, then the rear carrier, with a clean towel, will be raised out of the recess 24 and pushed forward to the position previously occupied by the forward ipper. The empty carrier is then pushed ack to the rear of the frame 16 and allowed todrop into the recess 24 r ady to receive a clean towel. When the above operation has been completed, the towel 12 in the rear and bottom of the cabinet, instead of passing through the rear gripper, as shown in Figure 6, will then pass through the gripper in the front of the cabinet. 'lhe door in the side of the cabinet is then opened and the partially used weh 12 in the bottom chamber 7 is removed and a clean roll suhstituted. The roll 12 is then placed in the upper chamher 8 and the part or" the towel passing over the guards is inserted through the open ing provided between the ends oi said fuords at the center of the cahinet, and cl owed to loser upon the wall The free end of the-clean towel web in the hottom compartment 7 is then pulled out through the opening 13 in the rear of the cabinet and up over the guards 15 and through the empty or rear gripper, ready for use when the towel passing through the for-word grinper is ain exhausted. I

lt-is necessary to remove the partially used towel from the lower chamber '2 to the upper chamber 8 when putting in a new roll as otherwise it would be necessary to have the towels cross each other, which would not permit pulling them through the grippers, and would, therefore, he impracticable. The soiled towel in the compartinent ll may he removed through the door in the side of the cahinet when e. clean or new towel is put in. r a

When the laundr yman calls andfinds that one roll has been exhausted and the reserve roll is in use, it will only he necessary for him to remove the soiled towel front the cahinet, substitute the clean, roll and the cabinet will be fullyequipped to supply the users until he calls sin as he makes his regular rounds, no special trip necessary to equip a cabinet in which all of the toweling has been used or take away roll which has only heen partially used, learing that it will not last until the next trip, The reserve roll not only insures a contin uous supply of clean towel to ever user, but eliminates the necessity of substituting the toll clenn roll for one that has only been partiallyused on the theory that the particlly used roll will not last until the laundryman makes his next trip.

In Figure 8 l have shown a modified construction, which consists in providing a pair I of discs 25, centrally pivoted at 26 in the side walls of the cabinet and supporting a pair of carriers 2'? and 27 pivoted at 28 on the discs and provided at one end with pinions 29 and 29 which mesh respectively with idle pinions 30 and 30 also mounted on said discs and inv engagement with the gear 31 that is secured toa side wall of the cabinet concentric with the axis of the disc 25. A crank 32 has a hearing in the gear 31 and is connected with the adjacent disc 25 for revolving the discs and the gripper carriers to change their relative osition in the cabinet. It will M noted in igure 8 that the discs revolve in one direction and the grippers in the opposite direction, such change in the direction of movement of the grippers being efiected through the position of the idle pinions 30 and 30 meshing respectively with the gears of the grippers and with the gear 32. respond to those heretorore described and I will designate them in .the same reference numeral, the rotationm the grippers during the tnrnino of the discs being for the purpose of adjusting them to their difierent working positions. @ne of the discs is provided with peripheral notches 33 which are engaged by a gravity dog as that is tripped hy the operator to allow the discs to he rotated and will engage one of the notches The ripper plates corend lock the discs with each halirevolution thereof.

The manner of using this style of gripper is substantially the same as heretofore desc rihed. The towels will he one in front of the other, the reer one concealed by the forward one and when. the forward roll has been entirely used, the rear carrier with the towel therein can he conveniently reached by the user and drawn down for the predetermined feed and then culled out to its using position, end the janitor when he puts in the reserve, can reverse the position of the grippers.

1 claim as my invention:

1. A. towel cahinet coniprisinc; s casing, a plurality of cleen towel rolls terein having vertically arranged webs one in front of the other, means for delivering the clean web of toweling to the user, sa d delivering means being mounted to prevent access or the user to the second towel until the one has heenused 2, A towel holder and main and reserve towel bolts therein, said holder having a delivery opening in its upper portion and a,

soiled towel chamber helow said delivery opening, a delivering means in the upper portion of said holder adyaoent said 0 eni d whereto the looseend of the we oil,

' iis said reserve towel extends from its bolt to be grasped by the towel user, said loose end of said reserve towel web being normally shielded from a towel user by the-main towel until said main towel is exhausted.

3. A towel cabinet com rising a casing, clean towel rolls arran ed in the lower art of said casing and having the webs of 0 can toweling guided upwardly to the top of said casing. grippers mounted in the upper part of said casin for grasping andholding the towel, sai grippers being mounted one in front of the other, the forward towel being grasped and drawn out by the user and the position of said grippers being reversed to present the rear towel for use when the forward towel roll has been exhausted.

4. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, clean towelrolls mounted therein, gri pers and carriers therefor mounted in sai casing, one gripper carried in front of the other one and having means for ipping the webs of the towels, said casin aving ides for said gripper carriers an said carriers being reversib e in said guidesto present the second towel to a position for use when the first towel roll has been exhausted.

5. A towel cabinet comprising a casing,

a plurality of clean towel rollsfarranged therein, gripper carriers and grippers therefor mounted in the upper portion of said casing, said gripper carriers having end sections rectangular in form and said casing having guides for said end sections wherein they are adapted to slide, said grippers being arranged normally one in front of the other and the grippers therefor clamping the webs of clean toweling, said grippers being adapted to slide in said guides and be reversed therein to present the rear towel to the user whenthe forward towel roll is exhausted.

6. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, towel rolls in the lower portion thereof, towel rippers arranged in the upper portion o said casing, sai d casing having an opening near said gri pers through which t e user may reach an grasp the towel, the I towels being arranged'one in front of the other between the gripper and the roll and the rear towel being concealed and inaccessible until the front towel has beenused.

7. A. towel cabinet comprising a. casin having an openin in the upper forwar portion thereof an an inwardly and downwardly inclined shelf near the lower end of said opening, a; towel roll mounted in said casing, a towel gripper mounted above and near said opening andadapted to clhmp the --.,'web of clean toweling,"said;gripper allowing a direct downward pull on e towel and said shelf checking the downward movement of the hands of the user when a predetermined length of towel has been drawn out and directingthe soiled towel into the casing, and said grip or operating to check the feed of the towe when a forward and,

outward pull is exerted thereon.

8. A towel cabinet comprising a casing, gripper carriers mounted in guides in the upper portion of said casing and pivoted l a recess in their lower porment also in the lower portion of said cas in'g, said clean towel compartment being adapted to receive a plurality of towels arranged one above the other therein and the rear of said casing having guides for the webs of clean towel, grippers mounted in the upper portion of said casing wherein the websof clean towel are held, one in front of the other, and the upper forward a portion of said casing having an o ning through which the user may reach an grasp the web of clean towel.

10. A towel cabinet comprising a casing,

main and reserve towels therein, gripper carriers mounted therein, said carriers comprising end sections movable in guides in said casing and plates between said sections over which the webs of clean towel pass, and angular grippers having flanges for pressing said webs against said plates and end portions for engagement by the loose web of the towel for clamping it against said plate when a downward outward pull is exterted on the towel.

11. A towel cabinet comprising a casing having an opening in its upper forward portion, and a receptacle for the soiled towel, said casing being adapted to contain a plurality of clean towel webs, supporting and delivering means for each of said webs provided in said casing in the rear of said opening, the webs of clean towel being extended one in front of the other to said supporting and delivering means, one delivering means being adjacent to said opening to permit the user to conveniently grasp the clean towel,

the other delivering means being more remote from said opening but accessible when the towel web of said first delivering means has been used.

12. A towel holder and a main and a ref evee re towel web mounted in the upper portion of said holder adjacent to said opening, a sup porting means for the reserve towel web in the rear of said holder, said main towel web normally depending in front of said reserve towel web, said reserve towel web becoming accessible to the user when the main web is exhausted, said holder having means for limiting downward delivery of the forward towel web and for guiding the soiled towel into its chamber.

13. A. towel holder having chambers in its lower portion for main and reserve towel webs, and a delivery opening in its upper portion, supports for said main and reserve webs in the upper portion of said holder in the rear of said opening, said webs being stretched upwardly one in the rear of the other from their chambers to their respective supports, the support for said main web delivering it to said opening, and said main web normally concealing said reserve web from the user until said main web is exhausted, and said holder having a soiled towel chamber beneath its supporting and delivering means wherein the soiled towel falls when released by the user.

14. A towel cabinet having a normally closed top and a towel delivery opening in its upper front wall and a soiled towel receiving chamber below said opening, said cabinet also having clean towel compartments and main and reserve towels therein, a towel delivery device in the upper part of said cabinet adjacent said opening, and whereto the web of said main towel is stretched for delivery to the user, a support for the web of reserve towel in the rear of said delivery device, the web of reserve towel being stretched to said support in the rear of said main web and becoming ready for use when said main web is exhausted.

15. A towel cabinet having a closed top and a towel delivery opening in its upper front wall below said closed top, and a soiled towel receiving chamber below said delivery opening, said cabinet also having a clean towel chamber and a clean towel therein, a towel delivery device in the upper part of said cabinet adjacent said opening above said clean towel chamber, and to which delivery device the web of clean towel is stretched for delivery to the user, the free end of the. clean towel depending from said delivery device between it and said opening in position to be grasped and pulled by the user, said delivery device being so positioned with respect to said opening and said soiled towel chamber that the soiled towel will fall loosely through said opening into said chamber when released by the user.

16. A towel cabinet having a closed top and a towel delivery opening in its upper front wall, and a soiled towel receiving chamber, said cabinet also having a clean towel chamber and a clean towel therein, a. towel delivery device in the upper part of said cabinet adjacent said opening above said clean towel chamber, and to which delivery device the web of clean towel is stretched for delivery to the user, the free end of the clean towel depending from said delivery device between it and said opening in position to be grasped and pulled by the user, and a wall below said delivery opening adapted to serve as a stop to limit downward movement of the arms of the user and also as a guide to direct the towel when released to said soiled towel receiving chamber.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 25th day of January, 1922.

FR M. scene. 

